“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, therefore all died” (2 Corinthians 5:14, BSB). This lesson was actually first inspired by a verse I did a lesson on the week before (Lesson 83). I’ll read that again. “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any” (1 Corinthians 6:12, NKJV).

I was thinking of it in another way, connected to our first verse about being compelled by love. There are other things we can be controlled by apart from addictions. I was thinking of duty. We can be driven on in our Christian life by duty. We’re supposed to go to church. We’re supposed to read our Bible. We’re supposed to give. And we can accomplish outwardly seemingly good things but without the right heart behind it.

I’m not sure how much benefit there is to a dutiful Christian life. It’s certainly better than forsaking Christ, but I also think it can be harmful in ways. It’s an empty way of pursuing Christ. If your Bible reading is nothing more than a gathering of information, you might end up like King Solomon, who declared that increasing knowledge increased sorrow. If church puts you to sleep, then you may learn there’s no point to it because you’re missing the point to it.

We’re not to serve Christ out of duty, though dedication and loyalty should be part of our devotion to Christ. We’re to serve out of love. We should be compelled by love to get out of bed and pray and read the Bible, because we love God and want to spend time with Him and want to get to know Him and want to please Him. Out of love for the brethren, we should want to gather and see one another and encourage one another in the faith, stir one another on to good works. We’re to give cheerfully with glad hearts to bless and to have compassion on those in need.

If you feel stuck in duty, ask God to restore your first love, to pour His love into your heart by the Holy Spirit, to search you for anything that’s hindering walking day by day in a loving relationship with Jesus. May the love of Christ compel you in all you do.